... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A heavy duty set of rare rock and funk tracks from around the globe – very much the sort of work we've grown to love through the many years of reissues from the Now Again label – the reissue-based arm of the legendary Stones Throw imprint! Now Again has turned us on to more bands than we can count – and they expand that tradition by adding in some obscure groups here with other well-chosen material – including some of the African funk and psych they've really helped introduce to the world in the 21st Century! Titles include "The Out Station" by Image, "Down By The Ocean" by Heaven, "Know Yourself" by Ed Whiting & Joe Lano, "I Am Selfish" by Eye Q, "I Know" by Groep 1850, "Digging" by Trevor McNamara, "December Sequel" by Pat's People, "Let Me Try" by Kaleidoscope, and "Io Prego E Preghero" by Christophe. (Funky Compilations, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most fully-formed albums from The Fugs – still quite hippy dippy, but with a focus that's sometimes missing in their other work! And despite the somewhat major label placement of the set, there's arguably even more power here than on the group's earlier indie sides – thanks to strong use of the best elements that make up the tunes. There's still a great mix of styles going on – from Buddist chanting, to sing-song poetry, to some countrified rock – and the album's got enough room for playful detours, but always snaps back into some stronger song-based modes. Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso both make guest appearances, and titles include "Exorcising The Evil Spirits From The Pentagon October 21, 1967", "War Song", "Dover Beach", "Turn On/Tune In/Drop Out", "Wet Dream", "Hare Krishna", and "Aphrodite Mass". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's really out of time and place – a set that sounds nothing like most other material issued in 1980, and which also hardly shows any traces of the Louisiana roots of Will & James Ragar! Instead, the set's got this laidback style that's almost folk funk at times, especially the variant from the late 60s and early 70s – maybe a bit like the music of Alzo & Udine. Guitars are mostly acoustic, but warmed up in nicely smooth ways – not through commercial production, just by inflecting the proceedings with a knowledge of jazzier phrasing, which comes through in the vocals, piano, and occasional other instrumentation too. There's a warm, laidback approach to the record that's really beautiful – and titles include "As The Day Grows Tired", "My Shining Sun", "She's Laughter", "Melting Pot", "Needs", "Hidden Away", "Just A Wanderer", "Oregon", and "Parade". This reissue also adds in the bonus tracks "Forever" and "Bayou Paradise". LP, Vinyl record album

A storming mix of R&B, early soul, and rare rockers – all hand-picked by the famous team of Keb Darge and Little Edith! We first knew Keb as an expert in raw funk over 20 years ago – back at a time when few DJs cared about the style – and you can definitely hear Keb's funk-trained ears at work here – as the tunes are all plenty raw and filled with sharp edges – way way different than any mainstream assumptions you might have about rock or soul from this time! The vibe is similar to some of the best Cramps-fueled compilations, or some of the hipper Norton titles – and titles include "Get Whiz" by The Dazzlers, "Jam & Jelly" by The Col-Lee Jets, "Shis Kebab" by The Black Albinos, "Dance Franny Dance" by The Floyd Dakil Combo, "Nervous Breakdown" by Gregory Dee & The Avanties, "Steady With Betty" by Benny Joy, "Please Give Me Something" by Bill Allen & The Back Beats, and "The Shake" by George Fleming. (Funky Compilations, Rock) CD

The second album from the legendary Nick Drake – one of those records we could never ever live without – and a true piece of genius that's been turning on generations of listeners since Nick first recorded it back at the start of the 70s! The format is folksy, but the execution is something else entirely – filled with jazzy phrasing, hypnotic lyrics, and arrangements that really go far beyond any cliches or contemporary work you might expect. The great Joe Boyd produced – and really helps give a strong focus to Nick's vocals and guitar – and the cool mix of added instrumentation – which includes organ and celeste from John Cale, flute and alto from Ray Warleigh, piano from Chris McGregor, and guitar from Richard Thompson. Drake's work is impossible to describe adequately, but if you've ever heard him, you probably stopped dead in your tracks the minute you first caught his voice. We still do the same – and it's a pleasure to have this one in stock! Titles include "Fly", "At The Chime Of A City Clock", "Hazy Jane", "Poor Boy", and "One Of These Things First". CD

The second album from the legendary Nick Drake – one of those records we could never ever live without – and a true piece of genius that's been turning on generations of listeners since Nick first recorded it back at the start of the 70s! The format is folksy, but the execution is something else entirely – filled with jazzy phrasing, hypnotic lyrics, and arrangements that really go far beyond any cliches or contemporary work you might expect. The great Joe Boyd produced – and really helps give a strong focus to Nick's vocals and guitar – and the cool mix of added instrumentation – which includes organ and celeste from John Cale, flute and alto from Ray Warleigh, piano from Chris McGregor, and guitar from Richard Thompson. Drake's work is impossible to describe adequately, but if you've ever heard him, you probably stopped dead in your tracks the minute you first caught his voice. We still do the same – and it's a pleasure to have this one in stock! Titles include "Fly", "At The Chime Of A City Clock", "Hazy Jane", "Poor Boy", and "One Of These Things First". CD

Indie rock elders Sonic Youth's first high profile album on an indie label in about 20 years – the group's first for Matador, and a skillful mix of insistent, exciting melodic precision, barbed lyricism, random bursts of noise, and enough layered hypnotic guitar errata that you'll hear something new each time you come back to it! Through the years they continued to be pretty exciting, and for the most part managed to avoid repeating themselves, while still working in something of a comfort zone – once throwing a screwdriver in the old noise rock guitar neck with the addition of Jim O'Rourke to the group, and with O'Rourke's departure, former Pavement player Mark Ibold on bass. Kim Gordon is now freed up to be play guitar, making for a triple threat along with Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo – and it's a riveting sound. They don't reinvent the wheel on The Eternal – but they steer into adventurous waters – and as long as they're making records this good we're hoping they live up to title! Includes "Sacred Trickster", "Anti-Orgasm", "Leaky Lifeboat (For Gregory Corso)", "Antenna", "What We Know", "Calming The Snake", "Poison Arrow", "Malibu Gas Station", "Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn", "No Way", "Walkin Blue", "Massage The History". CD

A record that's really out of time and place – a set that sounds nothing like most other material issued in 1980, and which also hardly shows any traces of the Louisiana roots of Will & James Ragar! Instead, the set's got this laidback style that's almost folk funk at times, especially the variant from the late 60s and early 70s – maybe a bit like the music of Alzo & Udine. Guitars are mostly acoustic, but warmed up in nicely smooth ways – not through commercial production, just by inflecting the proceedings with a knowledge of jazzier phrasing, which comes through in the vocals, piano, and occasional other instrumentation too. There's a warm, laidback approach to the record that's really beautiful – and titles include "As The Day Grows Tired", "My Shining Sun", "She's Laughter", "Melting Pot", "Needs", "Hidden Away", "Just A Wanderer", "Oregon", and "Parade". This reissue also adds in the bonus tracks "Forever" and "Bayou Paradise". CD

The music of Leonard Cohen, but served up in a style that's quite different than you might expect – yet that's maybe no surprise, as right from the start, Cohen's magical songs were already getting interpretations by artists in a range of different styles! The setting here is Blue Note, but the artists are a wider range than those you'd normally hear on the label – with a mix of rock and soul talents next to jazz artists – on titles that include "If It Be Your Will" by Mavis Staples, "Suzanne" by Gregory Porter, "Steer Your Way" by Norah Jones, "Avalanche" by Immanuel Wilkins, "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" by Luciana Souza, "Bird On The Wire" by Bill Frisell, "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Nathaniel Rateliff, "Coming Back To You" by James Taylor, "Here It Is" by Peter Gabriel, and "You Want It Darker" by Iggy Pop. (Vocalists, Rock) CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A seminal blend of folk roots and jazz improvisation – with Ralph Towner on guitar, Collin Walcott on sitar, oboe and horn from Paul McCandless, and bass and flute from Glen Moore. Titles include "North Star", "Children Of God", "Naiads", "Shard", "Bell Spirit", and "The Swan". (Jazz, Rock) CD

A classic yet unusual take on the sound of post-folk vocals in the world of 70s pop – a set done by gentle-voiced Mary MacGregor, a singer who would have had much more acoustic support a decade before – yet who here has an unusual blend of AOR elements and more laidback modes, all surprisingly produced at Muscle Shoals! This isn't the usual Muscle Shoals set – no southern soul currents, just plenty of warm keyboard lines from Barry Beckett, who co-produced with Peter Yarrow – another talent here who is in different territory than usual. Beckett even plays a bit of moog, which sounds nice next to Mary's voice as she delivers tunes that include the classic "Torn Between Two Lovers", plus "Good Together", "This Girl", "Mama", "It's Too Soon", "The Lady I Am", "For A While", and "I Just Want To Love You". CD

An album that really takes the "beat" in its title seriously – as the set's got plenty of heavy drums, right from the start – and at a level that's very different than the usual Italian sound library set of the time! The vibe is more rock than jazz or easy – and the heavy drums are topped by guitar turned up with plenty of fuzz – almost a psych take on the "shake" or "jerk" modes of the European instrumental scene of the late 60s – but with some funky currents in the rhythms that would be right at home in Memphis soul too! Titles include "Love For Phone", "Lamento Beat", "Mangusta", "Avocadro", "Cortante", "Giantollo", "Kiss For Flavia", and "Povero Capellone". (Sound Library, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from The Original Caste, Edward Bear, R. Dean Taylor, Tranquillity Base, Joey Gregorash, Lighthouse, Crowbar, The Bells, The Stampeders, April Wine, and more. CD